Merry Christmas!

Our First Camping Trip

 Unfortunately, in 4 years, Scott and I have never been camping together.  We got 2 sleeping bags for our wedding, and until this weekend, one of them was still in the wrapper!  I had a couple of days off this weekend, which is rare so I really wanted to do something special and I thought camping would be fun.  After looking into rates, I realized it would run us about the same as a hotel room.  And let's be honest, if I'm going to spend the money I want a comfy bed, a real bathroom, and a jacuzzi.  So I was bummed that camping wasn't going to happen until Kellie suggested camping in her backyard!  It was the perfect situation: we could stay in a tent but still have a bathroom and kitchen close by, and it was free!  We decided we should make it a camping-themed weekend and went on a hike that morning.

 We went to Griffith Park, which was beautiful, and again, free!

 

 We didn't last too long though.  We went on the world's shortest hike (we for sure walked less than a mile total) and I ended up carrying Penny the entire way back.

 I do recommend Griffith Park for hiking, but do your research first.  The trails are not well-marked and there is little information available on them at the visitor's center.

After that we headed to the Larsens' for camping.  Penny was so excited because she LOVES those girls.  We all had fun hanging out and eating; unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the girls all playing because we were having too much fun!  Without a doubt, one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend was when we woke up in the morning.  When we went into the tent Penny started freaking out and wanted out of that tent.  We had to sing her to sleep!  And when we woke up, the first thing she said was "tent, all done."  But after a few minutes of warming up to it, she was having the time of her life.  She thought the tent was the best thing ever.

We were so cold that night, and part of the reason was that there was a spot in the tent right by my head and one right by Scott's head that was just mesh.  I think this tent was made more for summer and/or we didn't put the cover on right and there was freezing air blowing on my head all night.  Penny was pretty warm in between us so I just put my hood on and slept through it.  To show you how open it was, this was a picture taken in the tent from where I was sleeping (there was mesh covering that view but I guess the camera removed it from the picture):

After we woke up and Penny got more comfortable in the tent, she stole Scott's phone and started taking selfies.  They are HILARIOUS and here they are:

Can you smell the ham?

Thank you, Larsens!  We had a great time!

Halloween 2013

Halloween this year was really fun because Penny actually got it.  She was really excited to dress up and do all of the Halloween stuff.  One thing she was NOT excited for was carving the pumpkin.

She wanted nothing to do with those pumpkin guts!  At one point Scott decided she needed to toughen up and threw some of them on her arm.  I have never heard that girl scream so loud.

Penny chose this costume out of Grandma's supplies and calls it "her kitty".  She loved wearing it and even get mad at me when I took it off of her.

 However, I did have to bribe her with a piece of pre-trick-or-treating candy to get her to let me put makeup on her, which is funny because she is always sneaking into my makeup and if I don't catch her in time I will come in to find eyeliner on my baby.

She also totally got Trick-or-Treating.  She would walk up to each door, knock, say "Trick-or-Treat", get her candy, and then run to Grandpa and say, "Papa!  I got treat in my pumpkin!"

Pink Pancakes

Scott though that the red food coloring was vanilla extract...

Books Worth Reading

Click here for the previous list.

On Your Second Birthday

I can't believe my little girl is 2 already!  You have been growing so fast lately.  I feel like everyday you are more grown up than the last.  You are so smart and so fun to be with.  You are eager to please, but still definitely know what you want.

 You are very much your own person, and you are very outgoing and friendly.  When we are at the store or walking down the street, you make sure to say "Hi" to everyone.  You also tell us "I love you" frequently, and use "Please", "Thank you" and "Sorry" frequently and accurately. 

We might be just a little proud.

 

 You are Daddy's girl, and you guys go on adventures everyday.  He has been a stay-at-home-dad for 7 months now, and while the house doesn't get cleaned or your hair brushed everyday, I know that you are having the time of your life and in good hands.

You love boy things, like firetrucks, Elmo, cars and trucks.  But you also definitely have a girly side.  You want to have your nails painted everyday, and each hand and foot must be a different color.  You also like to put on my makeup whenever possible, and to dress up.  Purses are the best, of course.  You also like to practice your makeup skills on Daddy.

 You LOVE to dance.  Your favorite songs are Megaforce ("Calling"), Call me Maybe, Gangnam Style and a few other interesting ones.  Anytime one of these comes on, you jump up and dance around the room.  And man, do you have moves!

 When we first moved to Long Beach, you were terrified of the ocean!  I guess I failed you a bit during your first 2 summers, only bringing you to the bay.  When we brought you to the beach, you had to be picked up and didn't want to go anywhere near the water.  But just 3 months later, you love the ocean!  You ask you go everyday and run straight into the water.  Sometimes we wish you were a little more scared.

 

 You have the best sense of humor.  You laugh at things that I am always surprised you find funny.  And, you figured out long ago how to make us laugh to get out of trouble.  It is terrible.  One of my favorite things with you is our face-making.  Sometimes you'll look at me and just make a face.  So I make one back, and we keep making funny faces at each other until we are both laughing.

 You light up our lives and we couldn't imagine it any other way.  We are grateful for how kind, compassionate, funny, understanding and smart you are.  Happy birthday, Penoppers :)

What happens when Dad "makes" dinner...

My wife is so great!

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank my beautiful wife for everything she does for me and for Penny.  She is an incredible mother and an amazing wife.  I honestly do not know what she was thinking when she decided to marry me, but I'm not going to push it :)  I am so inspired by her faith, motivation, willingness to serve and her hard work and dedication towards anything she commits to.  I love that when Christy sets her mind on something she is locked on and you know it's gonna happen!  I love how not only I know that I can depend on her but others know they can depend on her as well.  I love the way she lights up when she is with Penny, the love that just radiates from her face when they're together.  I love when she scratches my back when all she wants to do is sleep.  I love how she sings whatever thing I wasn't able to hear her say the third time I ask her to repeat something. I love her pancakes!  She makes awesome pancakes!  I love that she loves her family.  I love her love of books; she's my Belle :)  I love everything she cooks (with the exception of one or two things that I blame Pinterest for) I love how she will go with me to do things I know she dreads and despises with a fiery passion but does it because she knows how much I love it.  I love how supportive she is to me, how she encourages me to seek out my dream. My wife is an incredible woman and I am so lucky to have her.  And I just love her very much!

What does a pig say?

We've Moved

We have recently relocated very far away, to Long Beach :)  We live just a few streets down from the beach and not far from downtown.  The parking is horrendous, there are people on top of people around here and always someone making noise, but we love being so close to the beach and we love our apartment.

Scott is still at home with Penny, and they walk down to the beach most days.  Anyone who wants to come spend a day at the beach with them/us is welcome!  Penny loves going to the beach but is pretty scared of the water.  We are working on it.

Yesterday we spent a few hours down on the sand and were able to get Penny to put her feet in and kick the water.  That night we walked back to the beach to watch the Queen Mary firework show.  I have never seen a kid so scared before!  I don't even know what to do about it because I was not scared of anything as a kid- in this aspect Penny is all Scott.

Penny has also decided she is ready to be 2.  She has more of a mind of her own than ever and is not afraid to let anyone know.  She also is speaking in full sentences and thinking about wanting to potty train.  But again, she has her own mind.  She tells me when she has to go but when I try to put her on the toilet she throws a fit.

I had to share these pictures because they made me laugh.  Penny got herself into this little basket in the middle of moving.

  I took her picture and then she started rocking back and forth.  I told her not to of course, and this is what happened next:

She was not hurt but pretty freaked out.

Books Worth Reading

Click here for the previous list.

Locks of Love #4

This time my sister, Melissa, and I donated our hair to Locks of Love together.

 

This was my 4th time and Melissa's 3rd.  She donated 6 inches and I donated 10.

Penny's got moves

Penny has recently become a dancing MACHINE.  That girl has moves I've never even seen.  Any time there is music on she is dancing to it.  Scott took this video of her dancing to Gangnam style today (please excuse the piles of dirty laundry- this was his way of trying to distract her while he sorted it).  Enjoy!

Battle of the Sexes

This week for Mutual we did Battle of the Sexes.  It was boys versus girls with two task rounds and a question round.  The first two rounds, each person had to complete 5 different tasks.  The girls had to do boy things: Shoot a basketball, throw and catch a football, tie a bowline, shine a shoe, tie a necktie, eat a cupcake in 45 seconds, hammer a nail, carry five chairs, memorize part of D&C 4, and ride a skateboard.  And the boys had to do girl things: Iron a shirt, sew on a button, memorize part of the Young Women theme, tie a bow (and make it look pretty), apply makeup, braid hair, identify flowers, change a diaper, paint nails and set a table properly.
 

After that we did a question round, which was really fun.  The youth all got into and enjoyed it and the adults had tons of fun too.  Thanks to everyone who helped and participated!

Update

I haven't updated in a while because I feel like there is not much to update!  I have been working for 2 months now and love my job but miss my little Penoppers.  The plus side is that I usually get off around 3ish, so I still get to see Penny for a few hours every day and I get to see more of Scott now.

Scott is adjusting to his new setting and mostly loving it.  I think the hardest thing for him is finding things for him and Penny to do, so if anyone has suggestions, I think he would really appreciate it! Those 2 have a lot of fun together though.  The other day I was at work and I got this beautiful picture:

(Kellie, notice the jacket? :) )

Every time I look at Penny I can't believe how big she is!  She is growing up before my eyes!  18 months old today!

She is still such a joy but definitely has a mind of her own!  She is a good listener and does well with following instructions, as long as it's something she wants to do :)

One thing she is really good at is folding her arms for the prayer.  She'll even fold them if she just thinks it's time to pray, like when we sit down at the table or after singing a song in church.  Her new thing is closing her eyes too.

She stole that book from Scott.  For some reason, she has decided she likes adult books much more than children's books and "reads" them all on her own.

 Today, we went to the mall and Penny had to play in all the little coin-operated cars.  She really looked big doing that.  And it was a weird moment for me because for the first time, I actually saw myself in her.  It was just like looking at me when I was younger.

Overall, we are enjoying life!

Scott is officially a Grown-Up

Today Scott turns THIRTY.  People keep telling him "It's all downhill from here."  And his reply: "Good!  That means it's easier!" :)

On Saturday night we had a party to celebrate it, and of course we had to reenact 1983.  Scott made an awesome playlist that was all hits from 1983, and we had a good turnout of his friends and family.  We also had some AWESOME outfits that night that we have to share.

(My hair was bigger when we left the house.)

And just for the record, Sandy found all of this in her actual closet.

I was pretty impressed with my sisters.  I think my favorite is my sister, Melissa's.  That green crushed velvet dress was a bridesmaid dress from my aunt's wedding in the late 80's, and has been in my mom's closet ever since!

Brandee and Scott- he gets an award for being the only person wearing a fanny pack!

I was also impressed with the guys in my family, especially since guys have so many fewer choices.  Ben went with 80's Ken doll (or something like that) and Mike did 80's surfer.

Finley Mae!  She also needs an award.

Ok, check out that Saved By The Bell shirt!  Another award.

A huge thanks to everyone who came and another huge thanks to all those who dressed up!  Happy birthday, Scott!